Ray optics in the field of a nonminimal Dirac monopole

A.B. Balakin and A.E. Zayats1

Abstract

On the basis of an analogy with the nonminimal SU(2)-symmetric Wu-Yang monopole with a regular metric, a solution describing a nonminimal U(1)-symmetric Dirac monopole is obtained. To take into account the curvature coupling of the gravitational and electromagnetic fields, we reconstruct the effective metrics of two types, the so-called associated and optical metrics. The optical metrics explicitly show that the curvature-induced birefringence effect takes place in the vicinity of a nonminimal Dirac monopole; these optical metrics are studied analytically and numerically.